You are talking to a very erudite individual, who seems (for all his erudition!) not to have heard of snooker. You have to describe snooker as a combination of two things, in your opinion which two things describe snooker?

Cloud Strife wrote:Depending on who is playing snooker can be a combination of dentistry and robotics, or it can be a combination of art and space exploration.

...just give me a while to think about these.

My erudite friend is impressed with the idea of artistry mingling with dentistry, robotics and space exploration, but he says that, for all his erudition, he is still rather bereft of an accurate idea of this sport of snooker. ( for me, I understand how different playing styles both infuriate and invigorate )

Without a perfect or near perfect cue action you'll keep missing pots - the dreaded 'cue across ball syndrome!' - and without sustained levels of concentration you'll miss easy shot and make silly safety shots. If you can master the cue action and sustain your concentration you can be a decent player. But that, of course, is very hard to do!

A player in full flow reminds me of a symphonic orchestra performing. Both require lots of skill, finesse and endless hours of practice at the highest level. Also there's an elegance and gentleness to snooker, starting with the dress code and the audience that has to stay absolutely quiet during the "performances".

A player in full flow reminds me of a symphonic orchestra performing. Both require lots of skill, finesse and endless hours of practice at the highest level. Also there's an elegance and gentleness to snooker, starting with the dress code and the audience that has to stay absolutely quiet during the "performances".

That's true, I'd never thought of that. I was just thinking about the fact that snooker needs accuracy when potting while music is more flexible and relies on interpretation. But now that I think about it, the violin needs accuracy too in order to play in tune. And its bow & rosin is very much like a snooker's cue & chalk lol.

Maybe a duet is more fitting than a symphonic orchestra, since there are only two people performing together in snooker.

Andy Spark wrote:You have to describe snooker as a combination of two things, in your opinion which two things describe snooker?

Junk food and beer.

But I can't speak for anybody else who watches it.

The question referred to playing snooker, with a serious intention to get better at it as a sport! Watching snooker is different. As regards watching snooker, I can sort of agree with you, it certainly has an alcoholic dimension. Alcohol and watching snooker go together really well, even loads and loads of alcohol and watching snooker; the hypnotic green of the baize, the slow clearing of a cluttered table to a uniform green, it is all rather alcoholic. But junk food? Hmm...maybe, but it's not an obvious link.